Mandel’s Final Thoughts: In zany day of upsets, Vanderbilt-Alabama stands above the rest
And now, 20 Final Thoughts from an upset-crazed Week 6 in college football.
But Vanderbilt 40, No. 1 Alabama 35 belongs in a category unto itself .
But Alabama's defense, which nearly blew last week's Georgia game, never did figure out Vandy cult hero quarterback Diego Pavia . Running offensive coordinator Tim Beck's read-option offense to perfection, he was never sacked and completed 16 of 20 throws for 252 yards while running 20 times for 56 yards. Alabama cut it to one score with 2:44 left, but never got the ball back after Pavia completed a 19-yard pass for one first down and gained 8 yards on a keeper for another.
Moments later, he was running around the field in celebration as friends, family members and SEC Network reporter Alyssa Lang chased after him. (Lang was the only person all day to successfully stop him.) And Vandy fans took the goal posts on a nice little tour of Nashville, en route to the Cumberland River.
3) Alabama's former coach, Nick Saban, once predicted that the transfer portal was going to make "the rich get richer." Don't know about that. Vandy coach Clark Lea won two SEC games in his first three seasons while building primarily with high school players. In the old days, we might have declared his rebuild hopeless. But Lea saw New Mexico State win 31-10 at Auburn last season and said, I want that. He hired Beck, the Aggies' OC. Pavia, the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year, followed, as did tight end Eli Stowers , who caught six passes for 113 yards Saturday. Lea signed 22 transfers in total, up from three the year before. And he just made one of the rich look a little bit poorer.
4) In theory, Alabama's CFP hopes remain very much intact , with an 81 percent chance to make the bracket, according to The Athletic's model . In reality — panic! As explosive as Kalen DeBoer's offense is (it averaged 8.6 yards per play but suffered from a Milroe fumble and fluky pick six), his defense has allowed 60 points in its last six quarters. That includes a combined five passing touchdowns by Pavia and Georgia's Carson Beck . DeBoer and DC Kane Wommack, who gave up a head-coaching job at South Alabama for this gig, need to find some answers in a hurry.
In the meantime, Paul Finebaum's callers figure to be extra colorful come Monday. DeBoer was always going to be held to an impossible standard as Saban's successor , and so it begins. As many will note, Saban's teams only lost to an unranked opponent once in his last 16 seasons (2021 at Texas A&M). But Saban did infamously lose in his first season to Louisiana -Monroe as a 24.5-point favorite. The spread Saturday was 22.5.
The Vols came in averaging a national-best 54 points per game, but star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was under duress all night. After Arkansas (4-2, 2-1 SEC) lost quarterback Taylen Green to injury in the fourth quarter, freshman Malachi Singleton led the go-ahead drive with 1:22 left, with help from freshman running back Braylen Russell (eight carries, 62 yards).
Tennessee hosts Alabama in two weeks in a game that figured to be a top-five showdown but may now be an elimination game for the SEC championship.
This was not the same A&M team that scored 13 points at home against Notre Dame or squeezed by Arkansas 21-17 last week. Mike Elko's squad is a work in progress but could sneak into the CFP picture if it beats LSU in two weeks.
No. 11 USC (3-2, 1-2 Big Ten) has been on the wrong end of two of them after a mistake-riddled 24-17 loss at Minnesota (3-3, 1-2). After the Gophers drove 75 yards for the go-ahead score with 56 seconds left, Minnesota freshman Koi Perich picked off Miller Moss, the Trojans QB's second interception of the fourth quarter. It marked the fewest points USC has scored since a 17-14 win at Oregon State in Lincoln Riley's first season. It looked almost nothing like the offense we saw hang 28 second-half points at home against Wisconsin the week before, and now the Trojans are already in must-win territory next week when they host No. 7 Penn State .
After falling behind 14-0, Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore turned to his third different quarterback this season, seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle , and at first it worked. Michigan rallied to take a 17-14 lead on Tuttle's 8-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland. But a fumble by Tuttle in Michigan territory allowed Washington to go back up 24-17. He then got picked off by Huskies sixth-year senior safety Kamren Fabiculanan to seal it. Don't be surprised if the well-traveled Tuttle remains QB1 going forward.
Next week, Ohio State embarks on the toughest three-time zone test of the season to date when they visit No. 7 Oregon (5-0, 2-0).
But Miami star Cam Ward (35 of 53 for 437 yards, two TDs, one INT) led the eighth-ranked Canes back from a 35-10 third-quarter deficit to win 39-38. Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC) remains undefeated, but its last two games have ended in controversy.
ACC replay officials got it right in overturning Virginia Tech's last-second Hail Mary in Week 5, but they inexplicably whiffed on a missed targeting call that would have kept a Cal drive alive, up 38-31, with 1:46 left. Instead, the Bears (3-2, 0-2) punted, and Ward had his team in the end zone five plays later.
It's been fun watching Cal's fan base spring to life this season after a decade-plus in hibernation. Why won't the football gods let them have nice things?
Fittingly, he did it against Florida State , with the 15th-ranked Tigers (4-1, 3-0 ACC) becoming the latest to shut down the Seminoles (1-5, 1-4) in a 29-13 win at Doak Campbell Stadium. Running back Phil Mafah carried 25 times for a season-high 154 yards. With Miami's close calls, Clemson sure looks like the new ACC favorite — though a few dark horses are looming.
16) A year after reaching the Big 12 championship game, Oklahoma State (3-3) fell to 0-3 in conference play with an embarrassing 38-14 loss at West Virginia (3-2, 2-0). The Mountaineers ran a staggering 65 times for 389 yards and four TDs. Adding injury to insult, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II , who has been unable to replicate his Doak Walker-winning 2023 production, went out in the third quarter with a leg injury. Gundy downplayed the severity, but ESPN analyst Kirk Morrison suggested during the broadcast that Gordon should shut it down for the season to preserve himself for next year's NFL Draft. "As this season continues, not much to play for," he said.
17) Friday night's Syracuse – UNLV game felt bigger than it might have in the past, both because of the 25th-ranked Rebels' recent media spotlight and the fact they're in the mix for a CFP berth. But their attempt at a third P5 win fell just short in a 44-41 overtime loss. Syracuse (4-1, 1-1 ACC) has been a pleasant surprise in Fran Brown's first season, thanks in large part to ex-Ohio State QB Kyle McCord (40 of 63 for 355 yards, three TDs, one INT). While Friday's loss does not affect UNLV's conference championship hopes, it would have been a nice resume boost if that G5 spot comes down to the Mountain West champ vs. the AAC champ.
UAB's bizarre Trent Dilfer hire two years ago is panning out even worse than I imagined. The former Lipscomb Academy coach is off to a 5-12 start, with three 20-plus-point losses this season.
The Midshipmen (3-0 in the AAC) ran for 329 yards and five TDs — while quarterback Blake Horvath also went 9 of 15 passing — in a 34-7 home win over Air Force (1-4), their most lopsided win in the series since 1978. Army (4-0 in the AAC) now has the longest winning streak in the country at nine after putting a 49-7 drubbing on Tulsa (2-4, 0-2 AAC). The Black Knights averaged 8.0 yards per rushing attempt.
It's a fun moment for America, but don't think for a second the two academies are rooting each other on. "Here's hoping they lose every game," Army coach Jeff Monken said last week.
(Photo of Vanderbilt fans marching off with the goal posts: Matthew Maxey / Icon Sportswire via )
